This invention relates generally to a knife fixture of the type having at least one knife blade with a corrugated or wavy cutting edge for use in cutting a vegetable product particularly such as a potato to form a correspondingly shaped corrugated or wavy cut surface. More particularly, this invention relates to a corrugated style knife fixture for cutting wedge-shaped potato pieces or the like, wherein the corrugated cut surface contributes to improved product characteristics such as reduced fragility and breakage during subsequent processing, and improved crispness and/or batter pick-up for enhanced consumer acceptance.
Production cutting systems and related knife fixtures are generally well known in the art for cutting vegetable products such as potatoes into smaller pieces of selected size and shape, preparatory to further production processing such as blanching and parfrying. In this regard, a variety of different knife fixtures are known and commonly used to cut whole potatoes, in a peeled or unpeeled state, into a variety of different specific shapes such as elongated French fry strips having a straight-cut or crinkle-cut configuration, cross-cut slices, wedge-shaped pieces and the like. The cut potato pieces are commonly processed by preliminary blanching in hot water or steam, followed by one or more parfrying steps in hot oil prior to final freezing and packaging. In one common production process, the cut potato pieces are also coated with a batter containing selected flavoring and other ingredients, typically prior to parfrying, wherein the batter contributes desirable taste and texture characteristics to the potato pieces when finish prepared, for example, by finish frying or oven heating.
In one typical production configuration, the knife fixture comprises a so-called water knife fixture having one or more knife elements or blades mounted along the length of an elongated tubular conduit. A pumping device is provided to entrain the vegetable product such as a potato within a propelling water flume for cutting engagement with the knife blades. The vegetable product is pumped one at a time in relatively rapid single file succession into and through the conduit with a velocity and kinetic energy sufficient to carry the vegetable product through the knife fixture which severs the product into a plurality of smaller elongated strips at a relatively high production rate. The particular size and shape of the cut product strips is dictated by the geometry of the knife blades, and these cut strips are carried further by the flow stream through a discharge conduit which guides the strips to subsequent processing equipment for size grading, cooking, freezing, packaging, and the like. Examples of such hydraulic cutting systems and related water knife constructions are found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,109,468; 3,116,772; 3,208,625; 4,082,024; 4,135,002; 4,372,184; and 4,423,652.
Cut potato pieces having a corrugated or wave-shaped configuration have enjoyed a high measure of consumer approval. In this regard, potato pieces having a corrugated or crinkle-cut shape are characterized by cut surfaces of larger overall surface area having an increased number of relatively thin edges, in comparison with traditional straight-cut potato pieces. As a result, such corrugated cut potato shapes normally exhibit a comparatively enhanced crispy texture when subjected to subsequent parfrying and/or finish frying in hot oil. In addition, when subjected to a batter coating process, such corrugated cut potato pieces also tend to pick up and retain a comparatively greater quantity of the batter, in comparison with straight-cut potato pieces, to result in a relatively enhanced flavor and texture attributable to the batter.
Wedge-shaped potato pieces, herein referred to a potato wedges, have become a popular specialty item served at many restaurant facilities as an alternative to traditional straight-cut or crinkle-cut French fry strips. Such products are cut from whole potatoes into elongated wedge-shaped pieces each having a pair of cut surfaces which angularly intersect at a narrow cut tip located generally at a longitudinal centerline of the potato, and which diverge radially outwardly at an acute angle to an enlarged heel corresponding with the external surface of the potato which may remain unpeeled. Attempts to provide an improved potato wedge product wherein the cut surfaces have a corrugated or wave-shaped configuration, however, have met with limited success. In particular, in a traditional corrugated profile, the wave-shaped cut surfaces are sufficiently reduced in thickness in localized regions at the narrow cut tip to form an undesirably thin and fragile structure which tends to break in the course of subsequent processing and handling steps. The presence of any significant proportion of broken potato pieces provides a substantial negative impact upon product appearance and perceived product quality.
The present invention provides an improved knife fixture particularly for use in cutting vegetable products such as potatoes into wedge-shaped pieces, and the resultant cut potato wedges, having corrugated cut surfaces of a modified geometry for substantially minimizing and eliminating undesirable product breakage in the course of production and handling.